Our Railroads To-Morrow

The author analyzes the postwar condition and prospects of American rail transport, diagnosing financial, operational, and organizational strains that followed wartime pressures. He recounts federal wartime control under the United States Railroad Administration and assesses its effects on management, discipline, and public service. The narrative examines human-resource problems and proposes reforms in labor relations and managerial organization. It surveys technological choices—electrification, steam, and gasoline-motor units—and recommends selective modernization. Finally, it treats freight-terminal efficiency, the decline of destructive competition, and the case for regional consolidation as steps toward a more coordinated national rail system.